DRC President Signs Contested Referendum Law Amid Fears Over Third-term Bid

Tshisekedi denies seeking ​a third term but says he would accept one if the people wanted it

Reuters

11 Nov 2026

DR Congo president Felix Tshisekedi says that he is planning to form a unity government as his government continues to lose territory to M23 rebels

DAKAR, Senegal – The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, has approved a law to allow ​constitutional changes to be put to a referendum, ‌a move critics say could lay the groundwork for him to seek a third term in power.

The legislation, approved by ​parliament last month, has sparked protests and drawn criticism ​from opposition figures, who accuse Tshisekedi of seeking ⁠to extend his time in office beyond the end ​of his second term in 2028.

Tshisekedi has denied seeking ​a third term but said he would accept one if the Congolese people wanted it.

The law, signed by Tshisekedi on Monday in a ​move announced on state television late on Tuesday, ​sets out how a new constitution could be drafted and put ‌to ⁠a referendum, as well as how existing constitutional provisions could be changed.

The law has fueled fears that a referendum could be used to scrap the two-term presidential limit ​and change ​the length of ⁠presidential terms, both of which are protected from revision by parliament under the ​current constitution.

No date has been announced for a ​possible ⁠referendum.

Tshisekedi said in May that elections due in late 2028 may not go ahead as scheduled if a conflict ⁠in ​eastern Congo continues and territories ​in North and South Kivu remain under rebel control. – Reuters